RWC 2015 Hosted by England

The format of the Rugby World Cup will be the same one used for the 2011 world cup with 20 teams split into four pools and the draw for the pool stages will take place in 2012.

Host, holders and all nations finishing third or above in the pool stages of RWC 2011 have qualified automatically for RWC 2015, meaning that Argentina, Australia, England, France, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, Tonga and Wales are already assured of their places.

Tier 1 teams have committed to playing midweek matches, meaning there will be proper breaks between games for the Tier 2 and Tier 3 nations.

"The RFU, and every rugby fan in England, will be thrilled that we have been chosen to host RWC 2015. This is a fantastic addition to the UK's Decade of World Sport which started this year with the Cricket 20/20 World Cup and which continues in 2010 with the Women's Rugby World Cup, followed by the Olympics in 2012 and now the Rugby World Cup in 2015."

"We have made a commitment to the IRB Council to host the most successful tournament ever, building on the outstanding success of France 2007 and what we are sure will be a great tournament in New Zealand in 2011. We will not disappoint them. We will host a festival of rugby that will fill our iconic stadia with excited fans and deliver a global platform for the game. We can't wait to get going and would like to thank the IRB Council for giving us this honour."
- Francis Baron, RFU Chief Executive Officer

December 2012

The draw was held in London on December 3rd, 2012.

POOL A

Australia coach Robbie Deans: "By the time it comes around there'll be a lot of anticipation and rightly so. The good thing is that we've got a broadening group and the circumstances of the autumn internationals allowed us to expose some more players to rugby at this level, and it's good for them to have that experience."

Australia flanker David Pocock: "There's no easy pools in the World Cup and it's a long way off so you've got to play with the cards that you're dealt and from our point of view there's plenty of rugby to be played before then, next big thing is the Lions and we're pretty excited about that.

"If you want to win it you have to beat all the best teams and there'll be a lot of hype around that game against England and the Welsh game especially if it is played at Millennium. Those will be two massive games, throw Fiji in the mix and there are no easy games in the World Cup and you wouldn't want it any other way.

England coach Stuart Lancaster: "Yeah it was some draw, I guess it was fate. When we saw Wales were in the third band it was always in the stars that we were going to end up playing them. And so it was, Wales and Australia was a tough draw but an exciting one all the same."

"The focus will be on our plan, to build the team and grow the team. I'm starting to get the management team I want in place and settled, and I don't think there'll be too many changes in the playing squad - I think the players we have are the right group now. So I'll keep working on that and now I've got a few pre-season dates in the diary so we'll work backwards from that."

Wales coach Warren Gatland: "We're in with teams that we're not afraid of playing, but if you come out of that group it's going to set up nicely for the quarter finals and potentially semi-finals. And even if you look at the last two World Cups, the two finalists came out of the same group. So we've got to go into that group with that confidence and self belief that it's a tough group but we're good enough to come out of it.

"We're going to know everything about England by the time we meet them. We might need to keep a few things up our sleeve, something a bit different, a few more 13 man lineouts to throw people off the scent!"

Wales captain Sam Warburton: "You lose seven games in a row this year and that's what's going to happen really, that's the players' responsibility if we're in the third band but it makes an exciting group. It was always going to be tough having a tier one and a tier two side in our group. Wales-Australia and Wales-England games have always been entertaining in the past and there's two massive crowds that those games will attract and from a players' point of view two very exciting games to play in.

"Wales are often tagged as the underdogs but there is always great belief in any Welsh team that they can turn anybody over and that is something which will hopefully carry through to the next World Cup, as long as players believe and are ambitious that's the main key to success really.

"It's as close to a home World Cup we'll ever get so wherever the fixtures are played if it's not at the Millennium Stadium, or if it's Twickenham or Wembley there's going to be a massive travelling support from Wales which as a player is something you look forward to.

"There's 12 teams now that have been seeded but rugby in the world is getting stronger and stronger and add another three years to that teams will only be getting better and better and it's great for the World Cup that there are those competitive sides."

POOL B

South Africa captain Jean De Villiers: "You need to get through your pool, that’s the most important thing. It is not so much who you play in your pool it is getting through it and then winning the next three games to win the Cup. It’ll be tough anyway, it doesn’t matter which pool you’re in, and hopefully we’ll finish first or second in our pool.

"I was walking into the draw with (Samoa captain) David Lemi and I told him that hopefully this time around we’ll miss each other but, so be it, we got selected together.

"Every game at the Rugby World Cup will be tough and I think in three years’ time, with the progression that a lot of the so-called weaker teams have shown in the last couple of years, it’ll be even more competitive. A team like Scotland will bounce back from their recent loss against Tonga and we’ll probably be looking at a team like Japan as Asia 1. With a coach like Eddie Jones they’ll definitely improve. With Americas 2 you’re probably looking at Canada or USA and they are constantly improving. You need to go into all the games with the right mental attitude and be up for it otherwise you might find yourself falling short."

South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer: "I believe you are masters of your own destiny and if you look into the permutations too much and you look at who you’re going to play it gets into your mind and you lose focus. I believe if you want to win the Rugby World Cup you have to win seven games. Obviously I am happy to be here and it is a great occasion, but as South Africa coach it is still far too early to talk about being at the World Cup. I just hope our side can improve year by year."

Scotland attack coach Scott Johnson: "We got what we got and now it is up to us to get our part right and get through to the next stage. It’ll be nice to get some of those brutal southern hemisphere sides up in the north where, maybe with some inclement weather, the physicality part will be taken out of it somewhat.

"If you add in the likes of Japan who play a very, very vibrant game of rugby we have contradictions in the style of rugby played by the teams in our pool and that is something we will have to deal with for us to get through.

"Every time you start a tournament you want to get through to the knockout stages. I don’t think your past is anything to do with your future, I think the reality is that you’ve got to concentrate on getting your own part right. If we do our part right we’ll get through that pool, and that’s what we intend to do."

Samoa captain David Lemi: "It's massive for us, before the tour we had been set our target to be in the top eight in the world, but credit to the boys and the all the management for the work behind the scenes,
who allowed us to perform away from home and to be in a good pool in 2015 World Cup. This result it means a lot for the people in Samoa, it's the first time we're ranked 7th in the world

This is the first time that we split each other, Tonga and Fiji in a different pool. South Africa again, I spoke to their captain today and said What's happening, us again? But this is the reality of the game we play, we need to prepare well, it's a long game to game and hopefully once 2015 comes we'll be up to at the standards we want to be competing at the 2015 World Cup.

POOL C

New Zealand coach Steve Hansen: "I think it will create a bit of excitement around the world and from our point of view we are reasonably happy but a lot of things can change between now and World Cup time so we won’t get too far ahead of ourselves.

"Argentina we will know about because we play them now in a tournament every year so they will be strong as they always are and they will know a lot of about us, that fear factor I guess of each other won’t be as strong. Tonga we know they can turn it on on any given moment and if we get them on a night when they want to be really physical then we will have to be on our game, I think there is a enough of a challenge in that pool to get us ready for a quarter-final."

New Zealand captain Richie McCaw: "I think we're reasonably happy, I suppose when they came to drawing out those last four teams I was pretty happy New Zealand didn't come out where Australia did but it is what it is and you have got to deal with whatever is put infront of you. We will have our own challenges whoever we play with Argentina and Tonga and then you earn your way through the next one. You have just got to get it right whatever is ahead of you.

"A little bit (of holding his breath when band one team being drawn for Pool A), but had I been standing there and we had been in that pool then you go, well that is what you have got to deal with and if you are going to win it you have got to be good enough to deal with it. That is the way it is."

Argentina captain Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe: "Every match in a Rugby World Cup is hard. About New Zealand, there’s not much to add, they are the world champions and until they lost with England last Saturday, they had a record of 20 matches without losing. On the other side, Tonga has been growing up a lot and in the last World Cup they beat France. Anyway, I think we are in a great pool.

"The fact that we are in the same group as the All Blacks we will strengthen our chances by being part of The Rugby Championship. We have to take advantage of playing against them twice every year. That is very important for us in order to continue growing and keep on learning, so we don’t repeat what we did against New Zealand in the last Rugby World Cup.

"In some way, after the pool draw, we can start thinking about the matches and how the quarter-finals could be. But we have to bear in mind that we all have to work very hard individually to improve and get to RWC 2015 in the best way we can."

Tonga Rugby Union President Epeli Taione: "I think it is the best draw that we ever had, we couldn’t wish for a better draw for us. The biggest thing for us is a massive relief that we avoid our fellow Pacific Islanders in Samoa and Fiji and now we can just focus on Argentina and New Zealand. In the last couple of years the improvement and the strides we have made we believe we have the abilities to go out there and get competitive on world stages and we are looking forward to that. Two years is a long time in international rugby but we can only improve as a Pacific Islands team. I couldn’t ask for a better draw."

POOL D

France coach Philippe Saint-Andre: "We have a very European pool with Ireland and Italy that we play every year in the Six Nations but the reality of 2012 and the reality of 2015 are very different so it's important for us to keep working hard and arrive with plenty of confidence in 2015.

"Often in the pool stages the difference between finishing first and second are the bonus points and the gap you can create with these two teams (qualifying teams) is very important from this aspect."

France captain Thierry Dusautoir: "We have a very European pool, it's like playing in a little Six Nations, and we'll see what happens! The good thing is not to be in Pool A which is very, very difficult. But if you look back at the World Cups the little teams are very efficient, we lost to Tonga last year so we will be watching out for the qualifiers.

"What is important is the passion for Rugby and for sport in general, England is a great country and the English people love sport as they showed during the Olympics. What matters will be the atmosphere created and I hope the fans will enjoy it, the players definitely will."

Italy captain Sergio Parisse: "It's not an easy pool, but surely not the toughest of the ones drawn today. We avoided the defending champion All Blacks and England who'll be playing at home which is a detail not to be forgotten.

"France and Ireland are two very hard opponents and we know each other well, they're the European teams that have performed better in the November Tests, but we'll have to see where they'll be in three years' time and what standards we'll have reached."

Italy coach Jacques Brunel: "Surely we can't have any other ambition than to qualify for the quarter-finals, we'll face France and Ireland three times before the World Cup and we'll see from here to 2015 how the balance on the field will change."

Ireland coach Declan Kidney: "Obviously you want to do more than get out of the group. There's been other years where we've been glad to get out of the group, and I suppose that's where Irish rugby sits at the moment. What we need to do now is not get above ourselves, do our best to get ourselves out of the group because in the last World Cup it took a very good performance to beat Italy in the last match to secure that pool win. There's a lot of planning going into this, making sure you have a strong group of players because at any given time you can lose a player, and you don't want the loss of one player to upset your plans totally."

Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll: "It looks like an okay draw, could have been better, could have been worse but being three years away there's still a lot of rugby to be played. But as a national side we've never got above a quarter-final so there's incentive enough to try and progress beyond that - but you can't do that until you get out of your pool.

"For me there's no temptation (to play at RWC 2015) to be honest, I haven't thought about what I'm doing next year let alone three years time but I think it's fair to say I'm not gonna be around for that one!"

And the nations hoping to qualify for RWC 2015:

Namibia captain Jacques Burger: "Definitely I think the tough thing is we haven’t qualified yet and you can’t just put yourself in a place but obviously that would be the ideal situation if we go through as Africa 1. It is mouth-watering if look at those teams, it is going to be tough but it is always going to be tough for us, it doesn’t matter who we play, it will be an honour to play any of those teams in that pool.

"One thing about the English is they do know how to set up a good tournament, we have seen that with the Olympics and I can't wait to see what the 2015 Rugby World Cup is going to be like. I think tha tis going to be something special, To be part of that would be amazing. It will be an honour ot be involved in the World Cup and I think it is going to be a special tournament."

Japan coach Eddie Jones: "In the World Cup every pool is tough. In South Africa we’ve got one of the Tier One countries, we play against Samoa quite regularly and Scotland is a very good team but if we play well against them we’ve got a chance of beating them. Firstly we’ve got to qualify before we’ll worry about the World Cup.

"Previously Japanese teams have gone to the World Cup saying they are going to win one game, win two games ... for us we’ll have an entirely different approach because we will go there to win every game. We’re just going to go there and play to the best of our ability."

June 2012

Rugby World Cup Limited confirmed that the Rugby World Cup 2015 Pool Allocation Draw will take place in London on 3 December 2012.

As for the 2011 tournament, the 12 automatically qualified teams will be seeded based on the IRB World Rankings on 3 December 2012 and positioned into three bands of four teams. The teams will then be randomly drawn by band into the four pools that will comprise rugby's showcase event in England in 2015.

"The format of seeding teams for the Rugby World Cup Pool Allocation Draw using the IRB World Rankings is a credible, succinct and proven method that reflects form, stimulates interest and is backed by our Unions,"

"With every test match played between now and the draw counting towards the IRB World Rankings the Pool Allocation Draw adds an extra dimension to a mouth-watering year that features the new tours and test schedule as well as Argentina's inclusion in the new Rugby Championship."

- RWCL Chairman Bernard Lapasset.

RWC 2015 in England will comprise 20 teams allocated into four pools: twelve teams that automatically qualified from RWC 2011 in New Zealand; and eight teams that will come through the RWC 2015 global qualifier process which kicked-off in March this year.

The 12 automatic qualifiers are the Rugby World Cup 2011 winners New Zealand, runners-up France, losing semi-finalists Australia and Wales, losing quarter-finalists Argentina, England, Ireland and South Africa, and Tonga, Scotland, Italy and Samoa, who finished in third place in their respective pools.

Like the last three RWC tournaments, there will be four pools of five teams. Each team will be banded according to strength to try and ensure evenly matched pools. The teams in each band will be randomly drawn to determine the pools they go into.

The 12 directly qualified teams will be allocated into the top three bands for the random draw using the IRB World Rankings of December 3 as follows:

The directly qualified teams are the teams that finished in the top three of each RWC 2011 pool.

"The Pool Allocation Draw is another major milestone as momentum builds towards England's hosting of Rugby's showcase event. The draw is particularly significant for the teams and for the fans as they can really begin their journey towards Rugby World Cup 2015,"

"All eyes will be on the draw so it gives us a fantastic global platform to talk about the tournament and build excitement. Operationally this also allows us to progress our collaborative work around the match schedule and venue programme which are key elements for 2013."

- Paul Vaughan, CEO of the England 2015 organising body

The timing of the draw three years out from Rugby World Cup 2015 enables RWCL and ER 2015 to develop the match schedule in association with Rights Holding broadcasters, confirm venues and base camps and provide teams with an appropriate lead-in time to maximise planning and preparation.

October 2011

Guardian Article - Paul Rees 10 October 2011:

A deal has been agreed that will save the 2015 World Cup, which is being held in England. The tournament had been under threat because the three major southern‑hemisphere unions all said they would not be able to afford to take part under the current financial formula.

New Zealand, Australia and South Africa say this World Cup will cost them a combined £25m in lost income, but an often stormy meeting here on Monday ended in agreement, with the chairmen and chief executives of the tier-one nations to review the way money from World Cups is distributed as well as relaxing restrictions on teams' sponsors.

The big breakthrough was an acceptance that the loss of income incurred by every tier-one country during World Cup years would be made good. The total turnover of the top eight will this year drop by £48m. The International Rugby Board will spend the next two months coming up with detailed proposals that will be put to its executive, or council, in December.

The chairmen and chief executives did not have the power to decide financial policy but as their unions make up the bulk of the votes on the IRB council an about-turn is unlikely. The meeting was called to discuss the timing of the 2015 event, which is scheduled to follow this year's model and take place in September and October.

There is a call to push it back a month because the southern‑hemisphere season will be extended, with the Tri-Nations expanded to four to include Argentina taking part from next year. The Rugby Football Union, as hosts, wanted a decision to be taken quickly because it wants to book up football stadiums.

The three southern‑hemisphere Sanzar unions said they would walk out of the meeting unless the agenda was widened to included the financial issue, on the grounds there was no point in talking about the timing of the 2015 World Cup until they were satisfied they would be able to take part in it.

The IRB chief executive, Mike Miller, was rebuked for his response to remarks made by New Zealand Rugby Union's chief executive, Steve Tew. Told that the All Blacks would be highly unlikely to able to afford to play in 2015 unless the financial model is changed, Miller said they would be replaceable. But both Australia and South Africa said they would stand behind New Zealand and wondered how Miller thought all three could be replaced, and pointed out that the IRB has already got more than £120m in reserve.

The IRB's executive is concerned that, as it makes 98% of its income from World Cups, any increased income for the top countries would come at the expense of the sum set aside for developing countries. Sanzar countered that Rugby World Cup should be looking to substantially increase its income by cashing in on rugby union's Olympic status, which has seen the current tournament make an impact in the Russian, Chinese and north American TV markets.

One area where the tier-two and tier‑three countries will be helped is in the scheduling for 2015. It was agreed that 20 teams will continue to take part and that top sides will share midweek duties, meaning the likes of Namibia, Georgia, Romania and Samoa will not have to play after just three or four days' rest.

"the meeting also endorsed the commitment to review the Rugby World Cup commercial model, revenue distribution and the 2015 start date as planned following the completion of the 2011 event."

"While the meeting was not a decision-making forum, key recommendations will be put forward to the IRB executive committee and/or the council for consideration."

- IRB

The issue of financial distribution has dragged on for eight years, but by refusing to agree the timing of the 2015 World Cup, knowing that the RFU is desperate for a decision to be made so it can start planning for the event, the Sanzar unions have ensured that the process will be speeded up.

Their other priority, a change in the way the proceeds from Test matches are distributed, will take a little longer to resolve.

September 2011

Guardian Article - Paul Rees 27 September 2011:

The future of the Rugby World Cup will come under threat unless fundamental changes ensure leading nations do not lose millions in revenue at the 2015 tournament in England, according to the head of the New Zealand Rugby Union.

Steve Tew, the NZRU chief executive, has warned that competing at the World Cup has cost his union more than NZ$13m (£7m), a loss it could ill afford at a time when player costs were rising and the world economy was stagnating. Incoming tours are halted in a World Cup year and competing nations are not allowed to have any association with their sponsors for the duration of the tournament.

The International Rugby Board will by next May complete a review of how the World Cup is run. Tew said that unless changes were agreed, he feared his union, which is hosting this year's tournament, would not be able to afford to take part in the 2015 event.

"We think we are at a really important juncture," he said. "We want a couple of things taken very seriously around the IRB table. One is the money that flows through and out of Rugby World Cup. It is well publicised that the major unions lose a significant amount of money net by participating in the tournament and that makes absolutely no sense.

"We lose NZ$13.2m [£6.7m] worth of revenue after income from Rugby World Cup and costs are adjusted. It cannot carry on. We said at the last board conference that we needed a full review of the IRB's financial model, Rugby World Cup commercial rules and RWC money flows. We are waiting with some anxiety what the IRB are going to do about it.

"The IRB did put an extra £1m on the table for the major unions six months ago which helped and which was appreciated, but frankly the prospects of us going to England in 2015 under the current model are very slim. We cannot continue to sign on for an event that costs us so much money.

"We need to have serious discussions and some creative thinking to help us approach the next World Cup in a positive manner. I am not saying we will not be involved in 2015, but you either reform things through an evolutionary process or you plant a dag in the ground and say it's time to change." - Steve Tew, the NZRU chief executive

One of Tew's complaints is that a union's sponsors are not allowed to have a mention during a World Cup because of potential conflicts with the tournament's backers, a rule drawn up because of the need to maximise profits and generate enough income to develop the game in nations below the top 10.

"The World Cup issues are multifaceted," said Tew, who said he was not advocating dipping into the pot reserved for the smaller countries. "The commercial rules for the tournament for participating unions are, we believe, far too tough, much tougher than Fifa's. If this was a soccer World Cup, the All Blacks' hotel would be decked out with our sponsors until Thursday (before a Saturday game). In a Rugby World Cup, our sponsors do not get a look-in. They are very excluded.

"All we want is what is best for world rugby. New Zealand and Australia tend to have to bang the table pretty hard at times to get people to listen. Our approach has always been to do things by negotiation and discussion and try to reach collaborative decisions, but ultimately you have to get something." - Steve Tew, the NZRU chief executive

The IRB is anxious not to get involved in a public spat with one of its major unions. "The World Cup plays a critical role in the development and profile of rugby worldwide," a spokesman said. "It generates the revenues that are entirely reinvested and distributed by the board across our 117 member unions during the four-year cycle between tournaments to increase competitiveness and advance the strategic goal of implementing development plans in order that rugby can be a truly global sport.

"The current programme is £150m between 2009 and 2012 with approximately 50% of the revenues going to the tier-one nations. There are significant benefits for participation at rugby's showcase sport, including brand exposure to a broadcast audience in more than 200 countries worldwide."

"There are also huge benefits of hosting, ranging from stadia upgrades to participation increases. We will continue to work with our unions to ensure that the tournament continues to balance the strategic needs of our unions with the global development of the sport."

- IRB Spokesperson

March 2011

England's Rugby Football Union have hired Ross Young as chief operating officer for England Rugby 2015, the body charged with delivering the World Cup

Ross will join ER2015 on 1 January 2012 from the International Rugby Board (IRB), the owners of Rugby World Cup.

In nearly nine years at the IRB, working within the Rugby World Cup Department, first as Commercial Operations Manager and latterly as General Manager, Young played a major role in the delivery of two Rugby World Cups in Australia 2003 and France 2007 and is currently committed to the delivery of Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand.

During this time Rugby's showcase tournament delivered a commercial programme which grew from £67m in 1999 to £120m in 2007 to generate record surpluses for the IRB to invest in the development of the Game.

Now one of the world's top three global sporting events, Rugby World Cup attendance reached 2.25m in 2007 and Young has overseen relations with organising committees, ticketing, brand management, tournament services and commercial operations during that time.

The appointment of Ross Young is the second executive hire for ER 2015 following the appointment of Paul Vaughan as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in December 2010.

"It will be great to have Ross on board for 2015 as he brings a wealth of Rugby World Cup operational experience from working on 2003, 2007 and now 2011."

"We have the challenge of delivering some big targets but the crucial part of the tournament will be to ensure that we deliver 48 matches across the whole tournament to the very highest standards.

"This will ensure that we meet both our financial and legacy aspirations and Ross will be key to helping us deliver the event to achieve our strategic goals."

- Paul Vaughan Chief Executive Officer

Prior to RWCL, Ross spent four years at Harlequins where he was consecutively Stadium Manager, Operations Director and then General Manager.

"I am delighted to be joining ER 2015 at what is a hugely exciting time. The organisation has a very clear vision and direction and with Paul's leadership Rugby World Cup 2015 planning is well underway."

"I am looking forward to extending my association with one of the world's biggest sporting events and using my operational knowledge and experience to contribute to what promises to be an outstanding Rugby World Cup."

- Ross Young, chief operating officer for England Rugby 2015

Young also spent 14 years with the Metropolitan Police and is currently living in New Zealand with his wife and three children working on the delivery of RWC 2011 and will repatriate after the conclusion of what will undoubtedly be another successful tournament.

December 2010:

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has appointed the first member of its executive leadership team for England Rugby 2015, the tournament organising company that will deliver the Rugby World Cup (RWC) in 2015 in England.

Paul Vaughan will become the new CEO of England Rugby 2015, effective 4 January 2011 and moves across from the RFU where he has been Business Operations Director for 10 years, during which time he grew the commercial revenues from GBP43m to GBP119m and played a major role in creating the commercial partnerships with Compass Group, Marriott Hotels and Virgin Health that underpin the new South Stand development.

He also had board responsibility for the ticketing strategy that has seen Twickenham Stadium regularly sold out and prior to the RFU he held executive roles at Whitbread plc and Octagon.

The role of CEO of England Rugby 2015 required a very specific range of skills given the need to deliver an outstanding tournament and maximise ticket income and it was that unique experience of commercial success in a the rugby market that let to Vaughan being chosen over and above the other candidates.

Vaughan will take up the role from January 2011 but will continue to fulfil his current role at the RFU to ensure an appropriate period of transition through to the middle of the year. The RFU is looking at how they will replace him and will announce its intentions for that early in 2011.

"We cast the net wide and saw some impressive and highly experienced candidates but in the end we all agreed that Paul had a unique combination of experience in the rugby market, commercial expertise and leadership skills."

"Making the Rugby World Cup a success will require a positive and collaborative relationship with the IRB and with the RFU and it goes without saying Paul has those relationships already in place and has been closely involved in our planning so far so we are already well on our way to delivering an outstanding World Cup. We are very excited by the appointment and I believe Paul will be pivotal in the delivery of an outstanding Rugby World Cup."

With a little under five years to go until England hosts RWC 2015, the foundations for delivery of rugby’s showcase event are already under way with the RFU and Rugby World Cup Limited collaborating to develop the detailed strategic and master plans that will guide the delivery of RWC 2015 in England.

The Strategic Plan will ensure all legacies are realised and where possible exceeded, both in the UK and throughout Europe. It will also provide the focus for planning moving forward, while the master plan will deliver the framework for the delivery of the specific strategic goals.

"Rugby World Cup Limited welcomes this key appointment which represents an important first step in the delivery of Rugby World Cup 2015. The successful delivery of the world’s third largest sporting event is founded on partnership, teamwork, vision and strong leadership. Paul certainly possesses all the necessary attributes as he is vastly experienced, has an excellent knowledge of the global Game, has a strong working relationship with the IRB and knows how to build successful marketing and ticketing strategies. "

"We are looking forward to working in partnership with Paul and his England Rugby 2015 team to deliver an outstanding Rugby World Cup in 2015."

- Bernard Lapasset, Chairman of RWCL

"It is a tremendous honour to be offered the opportunity to manage the delivery of RWC 2015 in England and one I accept with great relish. The RFU are the custodians of the tournament before handing it on to Japan in 2019 and I want to deliver a fantastic event for the game and a long term positive legacy for the RFU."

- Paul Vaughan

England Rugby 2015 is the wholly owned subsidiary of the RFU tasked with delivering RWC 2015 which will begin in September 2015 and lasts 7 weeks, with 48 of games played in over 10 iconic stadia including Twickenham and Wembley.

Rugby Ball Selection:

Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) has announced that Gilbert has been awarded the contract to supply balls to Rugby World Cup 2011 and Rugby World Cup 2015.

A world leader in match ball innovation and development in international Rugby for more than a century, the UK-based firm will supply the match, training and replica balls for Rugby's global showcase event.

"Gilbert is a brand that is synonymous with Rugby World Cup, having supplied balls for the tournament since 1995, and RWCL is delighted to be extending the relationship with a partner that has proven to be both a strong supporter of the tournament and the world leader in Rugby ball performance,"

- RWCL Chairman Bernard Lapasset

21 May 2012 2015 Rugby World Cup draw

RWC 2015 Draw to Add Extra Dimension to International Year

Twelve automatically qualified teams to enter the draw

IRB World Rankings to determine bands

Draw set to add climax to unprecedented year of Test Rugby

Rugby World Cup Limited has announced that the Rugby World Cup 2015 Pool Allocation Draw will take place in London on December 3.
As for the 2011 tournament, the 12 automatically qualified teams will be seeded based on the IRB World Rankings on December 3, 2012 and positioned into three bands of four teams. The teams will then be randomly drawn by band into the four pools that will comprise Rugby's showcase event in England in 2015.

"The format of seeding teams for the Rugby World Cup Pool Allocation Draw using the IRB World Rankings is a credible, succinct and proven method that reflects form, stimulates interest and is backed by our Unions.
"With every Test match played between now and the draw counting towards the IRB World Rankings the Pool Allocation Draw adds an extra dimension to a mouth-watering year that features the new tours and Test schedule as well as Argentina's inclusion in the new Rugby Championship."
"The Pool Allocation Draw is therefore a fitting climax as teams, fans and media look towards England 2015 and a tournament that promises to take our pinnacle event to new levels in terms of exposure, engagement and financial returns for the global Game."

- RWCL Chairman Bernard Lapasset

RWC 2015 in England will comprise 20 teams allocated into four pools: 12 teams that automatically qualified from RWC 2011 in New Zealand; and eight teams that will come through the RWC 2015 global qualifier process which kicked-off in March this year.
The 12 automatic qualifiers are the Rugby World Cup 2011 winners New Zealand, runners-up France, losing semi-finalists Australia and Wales, losing quarter-finalists Argentina, England, Ireland and South Africa, and Tonga, Scotland, Italy and Samoa, who finished in third place in their respective pools.
Like the last three RWC tournaments, there will be four pools of five teams. Each team will be banded according to strength to try and ensure evenly matched pools. The teams in each band will be randomly drawn to determine the pools they go into.
The 12 directly qualified teams will be allocated into the top three bands for the random draw using the IRB World Rankings of December 3 as follows:
Band 1 - The four highest ranked directly qualified teams*
Band 2 - The next four highest ranked directly qualified teams*
Band 3 - The final four directly qualified teams*
Band 4 - Oceania 1, Europe 1, Asia 1, Americas 1
Band 5 - Africa 1, Europe 2, Americas 2, Repechage winner
*The directly qualified teams are the teams that finished in the top three of each RWC 2011 pool.

"The Pool Allocation Draw is another major milestone as momentum builds towards England's hosting of Rugby's showcase event. The draw is particularly significant for the teams and for the fans as they can really begin their journey towards Rugby World Cup 2015."

"All eyes will be on the draw so it gives us a fantastic global platform to talk about the tournament and build excitement. Operationally this also allows us to progress our collaborative work around the match schedule and venue programme which are key elements for 2013."

- Paul Vaughan, CEO of the England 2015 organising body

The timing of the draw three years out from Rugby World Cup 2015 enables RWCL and ER 2015 to develop the match schedule in association with Rights Holding broadcasters, confirm venues and base camps and provide teams with an appropriate lead-in time to maximise planning and preparation.

Notes to editors:
Rugby World Cup is one of the world's largest and most popular sporting events, delivering financial revenues that have enabled the IRB to invest £150 million in the development of Rugby worldwide between 2009-2012. The 2011 edition in New Zealand was attended by 1.35 million at 87 per cent capacity and reached a television audience of more than 3.9 billion. The eighth Rugby World Cup in England in 2015 is on track to be the biggest to date with three million tickets available.

Venues

Twickenham

The Millennium Stadium

Welford Road Stadium

Wembley

Old Trafford

Kingsholm Stadium

St James' Park

Cardiff will become the first city to be involved in four World Cups - 1991, 1999, 2007 (hosted four games) and 2015. Edinburgh, Toulouse and Paris all hosted games in 1991, 1991 and 2007.